Baseball Report

Although Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig probably won’t change the call, the court of public opinion gives Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

Galarraga, as you may recall, is the Detroit Tigers pitcher who threw a perfect game no-hitter last Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians, on replay at least. First base umpire Jim Joyce ruled baserunner Jason Donald safe on the play, ruining the gem.

The next day, Selig praised the sportsmanship displayed by Joyce and Galarraga, but an MLB spokesman said that the commissioner would not reverse the call, giving the Tigers pitcher a perfect game.

Selig’s office in New York received many calls from fans expressing their displeasure, and were given an e-mail address to voice their opinion. ESPN.com ran a poll the day after the game, and at one point, 76 percent (106,297 votes) voted that Selig should overrule the call and make the change.

In a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted last Thursday, 64 percent said that MLB should overturn Joyce’s call.

It appears that the only thing Selig is willing to do is look into the possibility of replay review in the future for plays other than home runs or fair or foul balls.

“Given (Wednesday’s) call and other recent events, I will examine our umpiring system, the expanded use of instant replay and all other related features,” Selig said.

“If I was Mr. Selig, in the best interest of the game, the guys got it and I’d give him his perfect game.”

For all parties involved, it seems that Selig could do wonders for the game if he does reverse the call. Joyce, who was distraught after watching the replay, would be relieved; Galarraga would go down in the history books, achieving a dream, and baseball fans everywhere would be happy and find renewed respect in the game.

If Selig is searching for a way to give Galarraga his perfect game without changing the course of major league history, maybe he should invoke replay review for all plays except balls and strikes, retroactive to last Wednesday’s Tigers-Indians game.

StatsWatch: Here are the top strikeout pitchers in the majors (through Sunday) —

Tim Lincecum, Giants, 89

Ricky Romero, Blue Jays, 86

Adam Wainwright, Cardinals, 85

Dan Haren, Diamondbacks, 83

Jered Weaver, Angels, 83

Quotable: “Just in case you guys were wondering, I did not get any more gray today.” — Baltimore Orioles manager Juan Samuel, after his first major league win on Sunday,, ending the team’s 10-game losing streak.

Diamond Notes: Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza won for the first time in a month as the Rays beat Texas 9-5 on Sunday…Royals pitcher Brian Bannister has won a career-high five straight starts…White Sox closer Bobby Jenks started the week with nine saves in 10 chances…The New York Mets extended their home winning streak to eight games on Sunday…Florida outfielder Mike Stanton was scheduled to make his major league debut in Philadelphia on Tuesday. “He’s a great talent and he’s going to be a big addition to our lineup,” Marlins outfielder Cody Ross said.

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